Bl©gs

I work for a fairly large Canadian company -- but you'll hardly hear me directly mention the company on my blog, or discuss the business that's happening there. That's not because I'm uninterested or that work is boring -- far from it, in fact. I don't discuss work because this site is mine, my content and I own it -- not my employer. I also don't want to get fired, or in anyway negatively impact the perception of my employer or company's finances. This has nothing do with with fear -- it's just the smart thing to do -- and being a shareholder in the company, I'm also doing it for selfish reasons.

Having said that however, blogs are slowly inserting themselves into businesses -- not just because employees are choosing to discuss their work in a public forum -- but because some employers believe the benefits of blogs far outweigh the potential dangers. Even so however, the legal minefield that blogs reside in haven't been full mapped. Who owns weblog content and the copyrights? -- both from a value and liability perspective. Who receives the benefits from online advertising? or potential book/movie deals? InformationWeek has a fairly good article on blogs and questions that are being raised as they slowly find a place for themselves in the workplace. The article references a Forrester report produced by Charlene Li.